What's Happening

​May is busy month with inspirational opportunities to worship our Lord here at St. Luke.All Sundays in May include the sacrament of Holy Communion.

May 6 is New Member's Sunday, come and celebrate as we add to the family of God here at St. Luke. We will enjoy special music by the Cherub Choir. Following the service, we will have our semi annual congregational meeting in the sanctuary.

May 13 is Mother's Day and First Communion Sunday. This will be special day to remember/honor our mothers and to share in the joy of First Communion. Maggie Carkeet and Luke Wright will present a special offering

May 27 is Church Picnic Day, we will worship in the sanctuary, but all are invited to dress casual and stay after service for a cook out in the pavilion.

May 20 is a day to honor our High School graduates with prayers and gifts. We give thanks for our Sunday School teachers as this is the last Sunday for Sunday School until the fall.

"Transformation 2.0: What is it and who is involved?"Greetings from the T-2 Ministry Team ("T2" is the abbreviation for "Transformation 2.0")! Our Team is comprised of: Paul Wright (Team Leader), Sue Malone, Sandi Oakley, Burk Renner, Cathy Dafoe, and Pastor Cliff. We have been charged with the challenging task of guiding the transformation process at St. Luke of becoming a "missional church". Mission renewal requires a paradigm shift in all of us to move away from asking the "how to's" (How will we attract more people? How will we increase giving? How will we fill the sanctuary with more people?), and begin asking instead the challenging "who?" and "what?" questions (Who is St. Luke not currently reaching in our community that God is asking us to reach? What is God calling me to do in between Sundays that makes an eternal impact for His Kingdom?)This transformation process cannot succeed if we are not focused on growing in our own spiritual lives. I challenge you today to commit to the hard work and discipline of spiritual growth. The 7 Marks of Ministry are an excellent starting point to direct your spiritual growth:Pray Daily.Worship Weekly.Read the Bible Daily.Serve At and Beyond St. Luke.Relate with Others to Encourage Spiritual Growth.Give to God Sacrificially of Time, Talent, and Financial Resources.Commit to Spiritual Leadership and Personal Integrity.If you would like to learn more about how you can be an active participant of the Transformation 2.0 process at St. Luke, reach out to one of our T2 Team Members! You may also visit: www.elca.org/futureIn Christ,Paul Wright

​Springtime gets me thinking about the Natchez Trace Parkway and my goal to bicycle all444 miles from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN. Today the Trace is preserved as a part of theNational Park System. It once was a trail for native peoples of the southeast, and latertransformed into a path by the European settlers. As a former park ranger, a former chaplainserving in National Parks, and as a current Lutheran pastor in Cordova, Tennessee, finding Godin the cathedral of nature is a core component of my own faith. I consider protecting andrestoring God’s creation to be an important expression of my faith. Our public lands, which arefor our collective enjoyment, are also under our collective care.

That is why I am deeply troubled that in the past year, our nation has witnessed themost significant loss of conservation protections for public lands in our history. In December2017, President Trump signed proclamations to drastically reduce the size of Bears EarsNational Monument (by 85%) and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (by 50%).Trump’s action in December came from an Executive Order that calls for the Department ofInterior to review of all national monuments designated after 1996. Unless people of faith andgood conscience speak up to defend God’s creation, we will likely see the diminishment ofmore national monuments.

Our nation’s public lands are not only places to take Sabbath; they also conserve ourcollective memory by protecting natural, cultural, historical, and spiritual heritage. The loss ofprotections for Bears Ears National Monument particularly grieves me, as this was the first andlargest area of public land benefitting from conservation protection at the request ofIndigenous tribes. By taking this recent protection of sacred sites away from the tribes, ourcountry has set back a much-needed pathway to healing.

On April 4, I gathered with faith leaders and concerned citizens to remember 50 yearssince the murder of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King in Memphis, TN. This modern history also linksus to 350 years of slavery and the 150 years of struggle for full inclusion by people of color inour country. Many national monuments established since 1996 reflect our country’s journeytoward healing, and reconciliation. Yet, just as the Antiquities Act of 1906 has been used in thepast to honor the heritage of communities of color, many leaders of the current Congress andAdministration are taking actions to diminish and undermine this law’s power. We must bewatchful and active to protect diverse cultural heritage sites in the Department of Interior’scare.

Since 1906, U.S. presidents from both political parties have designated nationalmonuments under the Antiquities Act so that future generations can experience our nation’sopen spaces, historic sites, and cultural treasures. Experience has demonstrated the wisdom ofgiving presidents this authority—nearly half of our country’s national parks were originallyprotected by the Antiquities Act, including the Statue of Liberty and the Grand Canyon.This Spring let us seek silence in a world of great noise. Let us respond to our yearningfor relaxation, peace and contentment. Let us reconnect with our cultural and spiritualheritage. Let us also work to protect and preserve the public lands we so love and that havebeen entrusted to our care.

Easter is more than one day; it's a 7 week season on the church calendar. This year for Easter St. Luke will explore a series of teaching on "Kingdom Living." How can we live in God's kingdom here and now? How can we seek the kingdom of God today? Join us April 8-May 13 for our Easter sermon series on "Kingdom Living."